AAA Launches Carsharing Service in California's Bay Area

The carsharing service will have designated parking spots at Oakland International Airport's Park 'N Fly lot. Photo via Wikimedia/Raysonho

On April 30, AAA Northern California, Nevada, and Utah is starting Gig Car Share in Oakland and Berkeley, Calif., according to a report by SF Gate.

Gig Car Share will be the Bay Area’s only one-way carsharing service. Currently, other carsharing services like Zipcar and City Car Share require cars to be returned to their original locations, says the report.

Gig Car Share’s customers will be able to pick up vehicles at locations throughout Berkeley and Oakland and then drop them off at street parking spaces in the cities, according to the report.

Gig purchased permits allowing its cars to be parking in almost any public street space in Berkeley and Oakland. It excludes spots limited to two hours or less, handicapped parking, and loading zones, says the report.

Additionally, Gig will have designated parking spots at BART stations, Oakland International Airport’s Park ‘N Fly lot, and some hospitals. Parking fees are included in the rental price.

The carsharing service will start with a fleet of 250 black Toyota Prius C hybrids. Customers can find available vehicles using an app. The cars can be unlocked via the app or a card that AAA sends out, according to the report.

As fleet miles increase exponentially, and as new stratum of fleet enter both consumer and business use cases, the "founding fathers" who gathered at Fleet Forward in Miami last week have some work to do.